Original German WWII Captured National Flag Signed by U.S. 389th Fighter Squadron & 366th Fighter Group – Ralph C. Grause Lot Original Items

Original Items: Only One Group Available. This is a very nice grouping brought home by a Ralph C. Grause after WWII. All we have been able to find out about Grause is that he was born in 1919 in Ohio and he enlisted on December 19, 1942 in the Army.

The NSDAP flag measures 53” x 92” and does have some damage to it, whether it was damaged during the war or afterwards. The flag was signed by the men of the 389th Fighter Squadron & The 366th Fighter Group. There are at least 100 names, possibly more, with their hometowns beneath their names. All of the writing can be found in the white center circle surrounding the swas. There is a stenciled description/unit names on the red portion of the flag.

The marking is as follows:

389TH.FTR.SQD.
366TH.FTR.GP.
V.E.DAY MAY8, 1945
V.J. DAY SEPT.2, 1945

Also included in this group is:
-Kriegsmarine Pharmacist Patch in white
-Kriegsmarine Medical NCO Patch
-Kriegsmarine Navigator Patch
-American 9th Air Forces Patch
-American Europe Communications Zone Patch
-American Army Air Forces Armament Specialist Sleeve Insignia
-American Moore Missileer Membership Pin for 1959: “All American Legionnaires who enroll 15 of the 1959 memberships by The American Legion’s 40th anniversary this March 15 will be entitled to a ‘Moore Missileer’ pin in recognition of their efforts to get 1959 membership into orbit.” It’s an American Legion award for enrolling 15 or more members in the Legion in 1959.
-”America’s Hero” Gen. MacARTHUR Pin with ribbon and Army Air Forces Pendant
-American 370th Bombardment Squadron Pin: The pin is small, measures 6/8” inch in diameter. The emblem of the 370th Bombardment Squadron is one of a set of military insignia pins issued by Kellogg’s with their PEP cereal in 1943. The set is known as the “Pep War Insignia Pins” and features 36 WWII military squadron emblems. It was created for Kellogg’s by the legendary “Premium King” Sam Gold. Kellogg’s Pep cereal brand-sponsored radio programs gave away premium items such as trading cards, badges, and pinback buttons.
-American Ribbon Bar and Insignia: Ribbons include American Campaign, EAME Campaign with 2 stars, Army Good Conduct and an Army Presidential Unit Citation. Insignia includes a Marksmanship badge for the rifle and a “US” collar disc.
-American Army Shoulder Cord in Yellow
-”Souvenir De Lausanne-Ouchy: This small packet of photos contains pictures of various locations surrounding the Alps
-”Souvenir of a Leave in Brussels, 1945” Pictures: 6 postcard style photos
-11 Photos: Various photos in different size, some of Ralph Grause and other soldiers

This is a very nice grouping attributed to an American soldier who fought in WWII and has endless research possibilities due to all the signatures that can be found on the NSDAP flag!

389th Fighter Squadron
The 389th flew combat in the European Theater of Operations from 14 March 1943 to 3 May 1945. Lt. Col. John B. England, who was commander of the 389th Fighter-Bomber Squadron from Alexandria AFB, was killed when his F-86 crashed into the woods near Toul. He was returning from gunnery practice near Tripoli, Libya. The fog was very thick and visibility was near zero. After several attempts to locate the runway his plane suffered fuel starvation. At this moment he sighted a portion of the runway and was in a glide with a high probability of a successful landing. But his glide path took him over the barracks where his men were housed. He calmly stated on the radio that this was not an acceptable risk. He turned and crashed into a wooded area outside the base perimeter. In his honor, Alexandria AFB was renamed England Air Force Base, and retained that name until its closure in 1993.

366th Fighter Group
The Group moved in England over the New Year of 1944, setting up home first at Membury and then at Thruxton. The pilots’ first mission was a fighter sweep of the French coast in March 1944 and from then until D-Day that June the ground supported Allied preparations for the invasion of France, taking out German military sites and equipment in northern France. The Group were awarded a DUC for quite a singular action: when supporting infantry in the St. Lo area on 11 July 1944, the pilots discovered a column of enemy tanks as yet unknown to the infantry. Despite coming under intense fire, the Group, as well as striking nearby pillboxes, the intended target of the mission, attacked this column. This put many of the German tanks out of action before they engaged the infantry. The Group carried out armed reconnaissance missions during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945) and escorted bombers during the assult across the Rhine river. The Group’s last mission saw them attacking harbors at Kiel and Flensburg on 3 May 1945. The Group remained in Germany after the war and, as part of United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), were part of the occupation force.